In keeping with a nationwide hospital trend to create softer, less
clinical surroundings for patients and families, MD Anderson’s
Facilities Management team is renovating waiting rooms throughout the
cancer center.

Tiny, virus-sized particles released by cancer cells may be the next big
thing in the world of cancer biology. Exosomes, derived from cells and
blood serum of patients, have been shown to detect pancreatic cancer
and, possibly, breast cancer, and are also linked to increased cancer
progression and tumor growth.

MD Anderson’s expertise in cancer immunotherapy attracted the interest
of four major pharmaceutical companies, which signed three-year
collaborative agreements in early 2014 to develop new ways for the
immune system to destroy tumors.

The first experimental drug to be produced by MD Anderson’s drug
discovery and development institute will kill cancer cells in a new way
— by depriving them of the fuel necessary for growth and survival.

Since its introduction in the 1940s, the Pap test has been successfully
detecting abnormal cells in the cervix that, if left untreated, could
lead to cancer. In fact, that success has led to a 70% drop in cervical
cancer rates in the United States.

The center that provides veterinary and preclinical research services to
support MD Anderson has received new, leading-edge laboratory equipment,
thanks to a $20,000 gift from Torchy’s Tacos in Austin.

Screening tests are powerful cancer prevention tools that can detect
pre-cancerous conditions early, sometimes before symptoms arise.
However, screening tests don’t exist for all types of cancer, and some
are advised only for people who have specific traits that increase their risk.

It was 1980 when Janelle Hail of Frisco, Texas, discovered a small lump
during a self-breast exam. A visit to the doctor resulted in an early
breast cancer diagnosis. The then-34-year-old mother of three feared for
her life. Today, she attributes her survival to early detection.